


I'd Love to Wok with You

by Chiaroscuro555



Series: Wok of Love [1]
Category: Actor RPF, Bjyx, Chinese Actor RPF, 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV) RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Cooking/Food, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, BJYX | Wang Yi Bo/Xiao Zhan is Real, M/M, YiZhan RomCom, YiZhan World Domination, Yizhan freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:54:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24788053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chiaroscuro555/pseuds/Chiaroscuro555
Summary: When Yibo had to film reality show about cooking, he met the handsome TV chef slash cookbook author to teach him how.Vietnamese translation on wattpadhttps://my.w.tt/rW9FzNKbd8
Relationships: Wang Yi Bo & Xiao Zhan, Wang Yi Bo/Xiao Zhan
Series: Wok of Love [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1805083
Comments: 11
Kudos: 182
Collections: BJYX Prompt Fest 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [bjyx_fest](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/bjyx_fest) collection. 



> **Prompt:**  
> 
> 
> AU: Xiao Zhan is a beloved TV chef/author of recipe books and Yibo films a reality show with him about learning to cook. Porn not necessary but I would love that if you want to!

  
  


"So, what you're saying is, I have to learn to cook, which is the only thing I sucked at, and I have to do it in a reality show, where there will be proof of how incompetent I am?" Yibo stared incredulously at his manager, Anji, as if she's growing the third head. But Anji's not cowering at his less-than-friendly glare.

"Think about it as a learning experience, besides, the upstairs management already okay-ed this program, and we even got you a very popular chef slash cookbook author! He's trending at Yout*be, his instructions are easy, and he is also easy on the eyes." Anji's cheerful tone had already started grating at his nerves. "You can check him out before the initial filming in a week, his name is Xiao Zhan."

"So what if he's good looking? Better for the rating?" Yibo is really furious because he barely has enough time to do his other jobs, and now they threw him this shit? Of all the reality shows they could give him? Cooking? It was like asking a dog to sing like an opera singer. A  _ very  _ handsome dog. He pooh poohed at the thought. 

_ Yeah, right. _

"Fine, but after that, I want 3 weeks of holiday." He's trying to bargain for time off.

"I'll see what I can do, now quit sulking and go home." Anji shoo-ed him out.

He walked to his car, with his bodyguard, and after being delayed by his more persistent fans, he finally was able to sit and rest his head on the back of the seat. He knew that his management gave him far too many projects than he's been able to handle, but it's fine, more projects mean less time to think. And he did not want to think, especially when he's alone. He took out his phone, and googled Xiao Zhan.

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  
  


"Hello everyone, this is Xiao Zhan's Everyday's Easy Cook, I'm Xiao Zhan, welcome to my channel! Please click subscribe if you want to receive more updates from me. You could also watch my show every Friday at 7 p.m on Asian Loves Cooking TV channel! Now, today, we are going to cook a very easy chicken recipe, even the kids can make it!" He smiles brightly. "First, you have to prepare the chicken, now, you could buy the whole chicken, like I did, but if it's inconvenient for you, you could always ask your butcher to prepare the chicken for you. Easy peasy! Next, I want you to rub the chicken with salt, just enough salt to scrub the skin and make it tasty! You will see in a minute! Just do it like this..." 

Yibo's eyes did not leave his phone for the whole duration of the show, which is very rare since he hates cooking. This… Xiao Zhan, made it look… easy.

_ Maybe it will be good for him after all. _

  
  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  
  


Xiao Zhan was finishing his live stream, when Xuan Lu, his manager slash cousin came in his studio.

"ZhanZhan, I have some good news for you!"

"Yeah? We're finally getting recognized by Kylie Kwong? God, I'd give my left hand to have her come to my show!" 

"Not exactly Kylie Kwong, but the next best thing!" Xuan Lu was jumping up and down, excited. "I got a call from Wang Yibo's agency, and they requested us to do a reality show with him, teaching him how to cook! Isn't that exciting??" She's squealing like a little girl now.

"I'm sorry, who?" Xiao Zhan was baffled by the unfamiliar name.

Xuan Lu's jaw dropped "You don't know Wang Yibo? The idol turned actor turned pro racer, plus he had a variety show and modelling under his belt! In short, only the most famous man alive!" She was giddy with excitement. 

"Are you a fangirl? And nope, never heard of him." Xiao Zhan took off his apron, and set it aside, and started to clean up the table. His other assistants were clearing their equipment. It's only a small studio, set up in the first floor of his office. And by office he means his apartment.

"Google him! And I already accept the offer, no take backs! He'll be here in a week to film his segments with you!"

Xiao Zhan just shrugged noncommittally, but he took out his phone, and googled Wang Yibo.

The amount of results from google is tremendous. And Xiao Zhan spent the next two hours learning about his soon-will-be pupil for the next few weeks.

  
  
  
  


But, no matter how many hours he spent scouring the videos and news about Wang Yibo, it didn't prepare him for the real thing. 

Wang Yibo in the videos was captivating, cute, had a nice smile and a nice body. A very nice body. 

Wang Yibo in real life however, was a brooding male god with a body sculpted like Michaelangelo's David. 

And it took every ounce of Xiao Zhan's self restraint not to gape at him.

"Xiao Zhan, this is Wang Yibo, he will be your pupil for the next few weeks...hopefully." the manager introduced herself to Xiao Zhan and Xuan Lu, and they seem to hit it off straight away.

While their managers were chatting away, Wang Yibo looked at Xiao Zhan very thoroughly from under his cap, while pretending to play with his phone.

"Hello there!" Yibo's almost jumped out of his skin because the sudden closeness of the handsome chef. 

"...hello." he nodded his head politely.

"So, since we're going to spend the next few weeks together, why don't we get more closely acquainted?" Xiao Zhan sat in front of Yibo.

"...and how do you propose we do that?" He tilted his head to look more closely to the other.

"Why don't you and I, we start to get to know each other, by telling me what's your favorite food. And we will buy the ingredients together, and we will cook it together."

He looked at the chef, his eyes twinkling. "You do know that I really suck at cooking, right?"

"Well, everybody's got to start somewhere," he shrugged, "So why don't you start here? With me. I promise it's getting easier. With a lot of practice." Xiao Zhan gave him a grin.

Yibo looked at him incredulously, and flashed his shit-eating grin. "I would love to see you try, Xiao Laoshi."

  
  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  
  


_ First day of filming _

They went to the morning market.

Not the clean supermarket with tiled floor, overpriced stuffs and aircon, but the real outdoor market with all the people and products you've ever hoped to find.

"Ew." said Yibo for the nth time.

"Stop it, Yibo, there won't be much footage left if they have to keep cutting the part where you said 'ew' all the time!" His assistant hissed at him.

Xiao Zhan laughed at them. "It's alright, this is Yibo's first time to the traditional market, I won't blame him for being… surprised."

"Xiao Laoshi, you're too kind, but you don't have to accommodate him all the time. It's his job to do this." The assistant bowed her head.

"It's quite alright. Do you know that I also did exactly the same as you the first time I went to a traditional market, Yibo? It takes time to get used to all the smell and the ambience of this place, but now I love it, the smell of fresh seafood, fresh meat, fresh vegetables, nothing can beat it." And his feelings showed on his face, made him radiated happiness, he seemed glowing. When he saw Xiao Zhan's face, he thought that he never saw anyone more beautiful than Xiao Zhan at that time.

  
  
  
  


They went back to the studio to practice the basics before filming. While Xiao Zhan prepared the ingredients, he asked Yibo to massage the chicken with salt, since they're making Singaporean Hainanese Chicken. Yibo only stared at him incredulously.

"You want me to what now?" He frowned and looked at the whole chicken in front of him.

"Massage the chicken with salt. Here, rub this salt to the whole body of the chicken, and massage it gently to remove extra dirt and scum." Xiao Zhan gave Yibo a container of coarse salt.

Yibo then proceeded to grab a handful of salt, pour it on the chicken, and attack it as if his life depended on it.

Xiao Zhan looked at him, and burst out laughing.

"Holy....Are you massaging the chicken or are you trying to strangle it to death for the second time?" He can't help but laughed at Yibo's expression. "Gently, Yibo, gentle like when you massage your lover..." he tried to show Yibo how to massage the chicken when he heard Yibo's murmuring, "How am I supposed to know, I never had a lover..." 

Xiao Zhan's eyes widened, but he said nothing.

"Here, let me show you, put your hands here, and do it like this." He put his hands on top of Yibo's, and put a little bit of pressure on them. "See? Gently..." he continued to hold on to Yibo's big hand for a while, before he felt embarrassed and let go to chop other things. He certainly did not see Yibo's heated gaze on him.

Xiao Zhan continued to show Yibo the prep, how to use knife properly ( _ It's upside down, Yibo, you can't cut anything if you hold it like that _ ), how to put the chicken inside a pot filled with cold water ( _ You need a bigger pot, Yibo, the water will be overflowed if you put the chicken inside that tiny pot), _ how to cut the cucumber for the salad ( _ Thinner, Yibo, thinner, we want salad, not pickles _ ), and so on.

  
  
  
  


By the time the filming's over, Xiao Zhan had never felt more exhausted in his life. But when he saw Yibo eating the chicken rice with gusto, he couldn't help but feeling proud and happy.

"So? How's it? The first ever Wang Laoshi's cooking." He sneaked a bite and groaned. "God, this is soooo good, you have a great hand, Wang Laoshi."

Yibo grinned happily like a puppy dog's being praised for being a good boy. "Xiao Laoshi is too kind, I could not make everything by myself if not being helped by Xiao Laoshi."

"I think you can do anything your mind's set into, Yibo, you are very capable of handling anything life's thrown to you. I think you're really built for a life full of adventure ahead." He unconsciously ruffled Yibo's hair fondly.

  
  


Yibo caught his hand, and pulled him closer, making his face only a breath away from the other. He looked at his mouth, his eyes, and finally let him go. He cleared his throat and got up from the chair.

"Xiao Laoshi, it's getting late, I really don't want to impose on you. But I will be back tomorrow for the filming." His smile was rather strained.

"Ah? Ah, okay Wang Laoshi, please take care of yourself, and see you tomorrow!" He also tried to act naturally, and it's hard when his heart's thumping in arrhythmia and he suddenly feels very hot all over.

_ What's happening to him? _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Xiao Zhan woke up to the knocking on his door. 

He jumped from his bed, eyes bleary because he could not sleep a wink last night, and he looked at the clock on his bedside. 6 a.m. What the..? He walked downstairs to the front door, and opened it to find..

"Wang Laoshi?? What are you doing here at this ungodly hour?"

"It's 6 a.m Xiao Laoshi, I've been up since 4 a.m." he walked inside, bringing a backpack and a large carry-on with him.

"What..? What are you doing? Are you finally snapped and going to run away?" Xiao Zhan eyed Yibo suspiciously.

"Xiao Laoshi, Xiao Zhan, please, for the peace of my mind, let me stay here for the duration of the filming. Couple weeks top. I hate to stay at the hotel all the time." He put his carry-on and backpack down on the floor, and sat on the sofa.

"What happened, Yibo? Are you okay? Let me get you some coffee." He walked to the kitchen and put the coffee into the coffeemaker.

"What happened was, some of my...more determined fans found out about my hotel room number, and they knocked on my door, the whole night long. That's why I ran away the first chance I got. Don't worry, I told my manager that I'm here." He started to lull his head, desperate for sleep.

At that time, Xiao Zhan's phone rang. The number is unknown. 

He picked it up, suspiciously.

"Xiao Laoshi, is Wang Laoshi with you? Do you mind letting him stay? He's been up all night and I'm afraid it's not safe yet to book another hotel room."

"Yes, he's here, don't worry, I will take care of him. Just let me know if there's any news."

"Thank you, Xiao Laoshi!"

Xiao Zhan looked at the now sleeping Yibo on his sofa. 

Without makeup and all that glitter, he looked like an innocent boy. 

So vulnerable. 

He sat beside him, and tried to wake him up, to move him into his guest room.

"Yibo, come, let's put you on the bed. You will not be comfortable here, besides, Xuan Lu will definitely have a heart attack if she sees you sprawled here." He chuckled and lifted one of Yibo's arm to carry him upstairs. Yibo only groaned but he stood up, leaning heavily on Xiao Zhan.

"Thank you, Zhan ge, please take care of me."

Xiao Zhan put Yibo in the guest room beside him, and came back down to have some coffee since he definitely could not sleep now, with Yibo staying within his close proximity. 

He thought about Yibo's life, how could he get any privacy with fans disrespecting his private life. 

_ I mean, knocking on his hotel room? Do they know the difference between acting, public persona, and private life? He's just an ordinary human, with his limitations and his own needs, and he needs to rest for Christ sake! Well, if they hope to do more than taking a picture of him, just pray that he's in a good mood and not slamming them with his skateboard. That, I will pay to see. _

Xiao Zhan chuckled, and suddenly very aware that he was getting kinda worked up because of Yibo. He really could not imagine the life of a famous person. He was quite satisfied with his own life. True, some people would recognize him on the street, and they would ask for selfies. But that was the most of the things people do. Not quite the level of the most famous person in the whole China.

_ And he was sleeping in his spare bedroom. _

Xiao Zhan suddenly feels hot all over.

  
  
  
  


"I can hear you thinking, you know."

Xiao Zhan turned around to find Yibo standing behind him. Way to close for comfort. And he's getting closer, and closer, forcing him back to the kitchen table. Then he put his arms on either side of Xiao Zhan without touching him, his nose hovering on Xiao Zhan's neck. And Xiao Zhan could feel him taking a deep breath. 

"Hmm...smells so good..." then he pulled back suddenly, coffee in hand. "You make a great coffee, Zhan ge." He gave Xiao Zhan a wink, and his shittiest eat-shitting grin, with a twinkle in his eyes, knowing full well what he just did to the handsome chef.

Xiao Zhan felt that he's just being in a 10k marathon, heart pacing fast, shortness of breath, and dizziness, and mostly thirst. 

_ God, the smell of Wang Yibo in the morning. If he could bottle it up, he would be a rich man. _

"Why are you up already? It's only.." he looked at the clock, "8.30 a.m??" He dropped his jaw. Two and a half hours since Yibo's arrival and he did nothing but daydreaming.

"Not only am I up, but I took the liberty to take shower and brush my teeth, I even floss!" He smiled so sweetly, as if he knew what's preoccupying the other's mind. "So, Zhan ge, what will you teach me to cook today? I love rice noodles in beef broth with lots of vinegar! Can we make that today? Please?"

_ How could he ever refuse this manchild? _

"Okay, Yibo, whatever you like." He smiled back at the manchild, who's now sipping his coffee and flipping the tv channel looking for cartoon programs.

  
  
  
  


Yibo insisted on making his own noodles from scratch. 

Xiao Zhan tried to coax him to at least learn some basic knife skills before he destroyed the beef in the process, finally gave up upon his stubbornness, and got the meat slicer out.

"You got this cool gadget and yet you still let me cut the meat manually?" His eyes shone bright at the meat slicer.

"It's a learning process, Yibo, you have to learn manually first before you can use gadgets, so you will know the process, the principle of things, and the most important thing is, when the electricity goes out, you will be just fine doing everything manually, by hand."

"Ooh, what I'd give to get my hands on...things." he smirked, and that went straight to Xiao Zhan's loin.

_ Damn this gremlin... _

Basically the taping part has no real problem, except that they had to retake the part where Yibo :

  1. Burnt the meat.
  2. Overcooked the noodles
  3. Almost sliced his finger off
  4. Spilled the whole broth onto the floor, and they had to make another batch.
  5. Pour too much vinegar on his noodles, making it inedible.



  
  
  


Xiao Zhan went to take a break when he could not see anymore of his kitchen being destroyed. He put some hot water to make chamomile tea, hoping the shit will calmed his fraying nerves, about the chaos, the mess, most of all about a certain idol that he would have to spend the next few weeks under the same roof.

"Xiao Laoshi, I really thank you for being so patient with Wang Laoshi, I really really apologize for any inconvenience he caused." Yibo's assistant, a tired looking woman named Lingjiao, bowed her head repeatedly.

"Ms. Lingjiao, it's alright, stop bowing to me, I know that he could not cook to save his life, and I'm prepared to teach him how. Well, he is worse than any of my other students, but it's very understandable, since he had to go away since he was a kid, and being babied by a lot of geges, he doesn't even need to cook, a lot of people are willing to do anything for him. I just want him to at least be able to and if he had to, he could do it by himself easily. After all he's a very famous man, just in case he had to stay at home, alone, with no access to ready to eat food."

"If that's the case, I will call you, and ask you to cook for me, Zhan ge, in fact, why don't you become my private chef? You could always take care of me, and my daily needs." He stood on the door frame, hands crossed in front of his chest, unabashed to be caught eavesdropping. 

At the sound of 'my daily needs', Xiao Zhan's ears became red, and his heartbeat increased fast, thinking about what other daily needs Yibo would need besides food. He mentally slapped himself then. And already Lingjiao scurried away at the sight of his boss, leaving him to his privacy with the chef.

"You know I will cook for you if you ever have the need for it, maybe for dinner with your girlfriend? Or a party?" Xiao Zhan was fidgeting with his apron, unable to look the other in the eyes, afraid that his blooming feelings for this guy will show. 

So, it was too late for him to escape when the others trapped him between his arms. Not quite touching, but too close for comfort.

"How nice of you to do that for me, Zhan ge," his voice vibrated in Xiao Zhan's lower body, making him shiver. "What if I said that I don't intend to have a girlfriend? Or that I don't like girls...like that?" His breath on Xiao Zhan's ear did the unspeakable thing and turning his mind upside down, making him weak on the knees, and Yibo's there to catch him, when he almost fall. "So, if I breathe down your neck, making you weak on your knees, I wonder what will happen if I touch you...here." his hands touching the lower back of Xiao Zhan, earning him a gasp. "...and here." His hands moving lower. 

Xiao Zhan couldn't hold the moan that escaped from his throat. "You keep making that sound, don't blame me if I lose my control and ravaged you right here and now." His voice was rough on Xiao Zhan's ear, filling him with a desire that's been bubbling since the first time he laid eyes on the idol. 

Yibo couldn't help it anymore when he claimed the older's mouth into his, and it was like a whole new horizon had been opened for him. The taste of his mouth, the sweet sounds he made when he made love to his tongue, it only sparked the already burning ember of passion in his belly. But, he let go of him, regretfully. 

"Not here, not now." He whispered into the other's mouth, panting, uncomfortable in his growing erection.

Xiao Zhan pulled away, surprised at his own reaction to the kiss. The incredible, out of this world kiss. And most of all, of his confession about him not liking girls. Oh, he was flattered alright. But there's so many things running through his head at a thousand miles per hour.

"Stop thinking your pretty head off," Yibo seems to be able to read his mind. "Oh for god sake, it's written clearly on your face, I don't need to read your mind." He laughed and kissed him chastely. "We're going to finish this segment first, and then later..." he left the sentence open, and winked at him.

_ That flirty demon!  _

Xiao Zhan took a 15 minutes break to ease his hard on before he went back to the kitchen.


	3. Chapter 3

They haven't had any chance to finish their 'later' on that day because he was needed urgently for reshooting his new drama the next day in Hengdian, so they flew him out after the filming, and did not see Xiao Zhan again until after a week passed. 

They just got off the plane and into the car, when he told Anji, his manager, to let him off at Xiao Zhan's place.

"You sure you don't want to stay at the hotel? Or back to your own apartment?" Anji asked him again.

"Mm. Better like this, I'm so fucking exhausted and I need a good eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. They did not know about Xiao Zhan yet, so I might as well use that to my advantage." He shrugged nonchalantly.

His manager eyed him suspiciously, but finally gave up. "Fine, you can take tomorrow off, then we will continue filming the day after tomorrow."

Yibo felt giddy from all the excitement that he would see Xiao Zhan again, but his face showed nothing.

  
  
  
  


About an hour later, the car dropped him in front of Xiao Zhan's apartment. He went out and broke into half run, and not 2 minutes later he reached his destination. 

He stopped, calmed himself, and knocked on the door. 

No answer.

He frowned, and knocked again. 

Five minutes later he heard scuffling from the other side, and the door opened to reveal Xiao Zhan. Sleepy, messy hair, half closed eyes, and sexy as hell. 

Yibo gulped once. Twice.

"Yibo? What are you doing here? I thought you were still filmi....hmppff" 

Yibo suddenly kissed him, fast, hot, just like everything else that he did. He cupped Xiao Zhan's face, and pushed him inside the door, not wanting other people to see him devouring this beautiful man. 

"Zhan ge, I missed you." he looked deeply into the older's eyes, and just when he was about to kiss him again, he heard his stomach rumble. He groaned and dropped his head to Xiao Zhan's shoulder.

"I guess we need to put something inside you first..." Xiao Zhan chuckled as he held the younger's hand and led him into the kitchen. "Sit, I will make something for you." He rummaged through the fridge, trying to find ingredients to Yibo's favorite beef noodles. "When was the last time you had food?"

"I don't know, this morning? They have food on set, and I kinda eat something there." Yibo shrugged, his eyes followed Xiao Zhan's every move.

"Yibo! That's really not healthy at all! You have to take care more about yourself, you know?" He started to heat the pan to make the rice noodles. "Go clean yourself up first, you still have glitters and hair gel. This will be ready when you are."

"I love it when you fuss over me, ge." He winked and disappeared to the bathroom, leaving a smile on Xiao Zhan's face.

He was just about to taste the hot broth, when a pair of arms was encircling his waist. 

"That smells so good." He can smell the shampoo and the soap on freshly showered Yibo. And his unique scent keeps making him thirsty. "I really need you to be my private chef, and took care of me, ge, I love your cooking so much...and this smells heavenly." He sniffed Xiao Zhan's nape.

"Cut it out, and sit down, I will bring this over to you." Xiao Zhan giggled because of the way Yibo's sniffing him, it tickled. "Food first."

Yibo was inhaling the noodles, while Xiao Zhan looked at him fondly. "You're such a big baby, no wonder you have geges everywhere, taking care of you."

He stopped slurping, and looked at Xiao Zhan. "But there's only one gege that I want. To take care of me." And then resumed his eating, leaving Xiao Zhan with heart palpitation. 

Thankfully before he could think of an appropriate answer, not that there was one, the door bell's rang. 

Xiao Zhan frowned, and looked at the clock. 11 pm. 

"Were you expecting someone, ge? It's very late already." 

"Not that I know of. Stay here, let me take a look." He walked to the front door, and gasped. Then he opened the door. 

"Ziyi! What are you doing here? Don't you know it's very late already?" But the newcomer did not respond, instead, she waltzed into the apartment, like she owned the place. 

"I see you're still fond of that online cooking class of yours. If only you had listened to me years ago, you would be cooking for the Kings and Queens, alongside me." She looked around the place, and her gaze stopped on Yibo. "You kept a straggler here? How typical of you. But that's my Zhanzhan, always did good for other people." She flipped her hair, and put down her suitcase, which Xiao Zhan just now noticed. 

"Why are you bringing a suitcase?" He asked her, still confused as of why she, of all people, decided to come to his place, after their rather... hostile separation.

"Oh, did I forget to tell you? Me and Ming had a fight, and maybe this time it's for good, so I ended up here, back in the arms of my loveliest fiance." She slid her arms to Xiao Zhan's neck and kissed his cheek with a loud smack.

Fiance? 

"EX fiance, please Ziyi, you're being difficult, it's like what, three years already since YOU left me? And now all of the sudden you came back without warning just because you had a fight with your boyfriend? I can smell your bullshit from a mile away. Now tell me the truth." 

"Later, I'm tired. I will sleep in your guest room tonight. Or you prefer I sleep with you? For old times sake?"

"Guest room. You know the way."

"Suit yourself." She looked at him, then Yibo, shrugged and went upstairs.

  
  


"So...does this mean that I need to book a hotel room? Since your FIANCE is here?" Yibo looked at him. Eyes unreadable. 

"I'm really sorry Yibo, I really don't know what to do with...all this." 

"You could just NOT let her stay, you know? But then again, she is your fiance... while I am...what am I to you again? A pupil? A childish idol? A straggler? I don't even know if you like men, since your fiance was obviously a woman."

"First of all, she was my EX fiancee, and I can't really have this conversation right now or my head's gonna explode. You go to sleep in my room. We'll talk in the morning." Xiao Zhan then took the leftover noodle and dumped it on the sink, and cleaned up the rest.

"And where are YOU going to sleep? With your EX fiancee? with me? Both? We can always share, you know, given the rooms were only a few feet apart."

"I will be sleeping on the couch tonight. Satisfied?"

"This is your place, I should be the one sleeping on the couch tonight." 

"Stop sulking, Yibo, it's not attractive. We both know you need the sleep, and I need some time alone to think. Please?"

Yibo looked at him for a long time, then he grabbed his backpack, and left.

  
  
  
  


Xiao Zhan felt the edge of a headache coming fast. He took out his phone, and dialed Yibo's manager, to tell her that he's gone.

"It's okay Xiao Laoshi, he just called me to take him back to his apartment. Is everything okay? Did you have a fight or something?" She asked curiously.

"No, it's nothing, only a simple misunderstanding. I'm sure we'll sort it out tomorrow."

Anji felt skeptical, knowing her boss's temperament, but it's none of her business.

"Okay, Xiao Laoshi, I will keep you updated with the next schedule. Thank you and sorry to bother you."

Xiao Zhan clicked his phone off, and sighed loudly, then he proceeded to his kitchen, to cook something. Anything. Since he's pretty sure he will not be sleeping anytime soon.

  
  


\-----

  
  


"Holy Mother, Zhanzhan, did you 'angry cook' the whole night, last night? I'm telling you, I'm not going to eat it." Ziyi sat on the chair, hair still wet, and she was only using a button down shirt with nothing inside.

"...is that my shirt? Did you come to my room?" Xiao Zhan looked at her in disbelief.

"Relax, I do nothing else except steal one of your shirts, not to be nosy, but where is the pretty boy? Did he leave you last night? Someone's got jealous..." she said in a sing-song voice, teasing Xiao Zhan. 

"I'm really not in the mood for your chatty self today, Ziyi, now, will you please just say what you came here to say? I got filming to do this afternoon, and I'm going to be busy tomorrow."

"You mean with Wang Yibo?" She smirked.

Xiao Zhan only lifted his brow.

"What? You think I did not know that the male god you had in your kitchen last night was Wang Yibo? Please, even I can appreciate such a beautiful creature, you know?"

"The problem was, you appreciated it too much. Now spill."

"Fine, fine, geez, you really are becoming more pushy these days. Fine! I want you to come back to France with me. I NEED you to be there with me."

"You know that I'm not in capacity to do anything about what you need anymore, don't you remember? Three years ago? When you ran out on me, with Mingjue?"

"You're still mad about that?"

Xiao Zhan sighed. "Xiyi, it was like a week before our wedding. And you ran without telling me anything. Anything. For three whole years. And now you came back here, asking...no, DEMANDING me to go with you? What the fuck?"

Ziyi looked around, nervously, so unlike her confident self just now. 

"I have cancer, Zhanzhan."

  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

"I have cancer, Zhanzhan, and it's terminal." She suddenly looked 10 years older, and very tired.

Xiao Zhan is speechless. "But..how? When?"

"I found out last year. Breast cancer stage 3."

"Last year!! Did you tell Mingjue about this? Have you done anything about it?"

"No, I did not tell Mingjue about it. I don't want him to see me like this. You're the only one I trust right now, Zhanzhan. Please?" 

Xiao Zhan's head whirled around, trying to find some sense in the words that came out from Ziyi's mouth. Breast cancer stage 3?

"Is it curable? Have you done chemo?"

"It is curable, with operation and a lot of chemo. But I'm really scared right now. That's why I want you to go to France with me, I heard the treatment there is best." Ziyi grabbed Xiao Zhan in a desperate manner now. "Please, Zhanzhan," she looked at him in the eye, "Moreover, I also need you to take over my job as a Chef in Savoy."

_ Damn Ziyi. She really knew how to push his buttons. _

"Ziyi, you literally gone for three years, left me at the altar, and now you wanted me to go with you? To France? And Savoy of all places?" He shook his head and sat on the chair, feeling exhausted.

"You know it's not fair, right, I used to love you, then you left me. Now I've moved on with my life, and you came back to throw me off balance again. Why me? Why not Mingjue? I'm just a small fish compared to him."

She's quiet now, not answering him. 

  
  


\-----

  
  


The next day came, and the movie crew prepared their equipment in the studio, but he couldn't find Yibo. 

He was just about to ask, when he saw the man, sauntered into the apartment, looking tired, aloof and unapproachable. So different from the other night, when he looked so soft and happy and sexy. 

Now he didn't even look at Xiao Zhan.

Xiao Zhan sighed, he needs to talk to him, preferably alone. 

But now, he had to do his job.

He knew Yibo loved noodles. He loved slurping it until the last morsel, and that's how he got an idea of how to make Yibo talk to him. 

He had made preparations before they started filming. 

They were both standing side by side behind the kitchen island, and Xiao Zhan told Yibo to mix the meat filling for the dumpling, while he prepared the skins. 

Yibo only nodded stiffly and started to mix the meat. Xiao Zhan already prepared the dough for both the skin and the noodles, so he prepared the skin, and gave it to Yibo.

"Here, let me show you how to wrap the dumpling." Xiao Zhan purposely enveloped Yibo's hand by showing him, intimately, how to wrap. 

Yibo stared at him incredulously, as if knowing why he did this thing, but at least he was distracted enough to not noticing the wrapper.

"Why is this pink?"

Well, that went well for five seconds.

"I added red dragon fruit juice, you can also add spinach juice, or whatever fruit or veggies that you like to make it colorful like this."

He kept his mentor's voice going, and left Yibo to finish wrapping by himself while he prepared his surprise.

"Xiao Laoshi, I'm done, what should we do ne..." he turned around to find Xiao Zhan's already prepared the table, and there's a full meal of noodles and dumplings and broth. He looked at the meal closer, then looked at Xiao Zhan.

"Everything's pink."

Yibo looked at Xiao Zhan, still unreadable.

"You know I hate pink."

_ Oh God, this took an entirely different direction than what he had planned. _

But Yibo still looked at him, eyes twinkling now.

"Xiao Laoshi, did you make all this just for me?" He tilted his head.

"Yes? But if you don't like it, it's fine, I will give it to someone else..." he made a motion to take the bowl, but Yibo grabbed his hand.

"You made pink flower dumplings. When?"

"Just before we begin filming."

"Yet, you told me to make it, and even taught me in detail. Why?"

"I... I wanted to surprise you, but since you hate pink...sorry." he looked down to his feet, but he felt Yibo's face was coming closer. His lips hovered near Xiao Zhan, made him blush hard, and then he heard him whisper...

"I think I like pink now." 

  
  


\-----

  
  
  
  


Almost halfway into filming, Xiao Zhan had some ideas about what's really going on inside the head of one Wang Yibo. He's one spoiled brat. He had an endless supply of geges to take care of him, yet he clung to Xiao Zhan like a puppy. And Xiao Zhan being Xiao Zhan, spoiled him to the max. 

Who could reject Wang Yibo? Definitely not Xiao Zhan.

Right after the pink dumpling incident, Yibo disappeared, making Xiao Zhan wonder if he's still angry. Only to find him knocking on his door not two hours later. With luggage.

"So, I guess I will spend time here, as planned." He grinned. "Unless you had another fiance lying around somewhere here that I should know about."

"EX fiance, and no, I only have one ex and it's enough. You sure you're not going to run away again? I don't think I can handle a three years old kid right now." Xiao Zhan looked at him, twinkle in his eyes. But Yibo only shrugged.

"I want to eat your pink dumplings and pink noodles again."

Xiao Zhan nodded and went to the kitchen to prepare the food, while Yibo went upstairs to take a shower.

  
  
  
  
  


"You know, ge, you should open your own restaurant, I never had dumpling and noodles as good as yours. I will be your first customer!"

"Don't you think it's a bit biased coming from you?" Xiao Zhan laughed. "Actually, I had this lifelong dream of opening a small little cafe, somewhere in Europe, maybe? It had to have a large field, to grow my own vegetables, and everything I cook is fresh from the garden. And after I close shop, I will sit back and relax, and enjoy the rest of my day with a good book, hot chocolate, and a cat." He looked to Yibo dreamily. 

"Only cat? Book? No significant other?"

"Why? You want to offer yourself?"

Yibo stopped eating, and looked at him seriously. 

"Only if you want me to."

Oh.  _ OH _ .

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


That night, Xiao Zhan slept soundlessly, he didn't even stir when Yibo came to his room, sat on his bed, and looked at him fondly for a long time, before he gave him a kiss on his forehead.

"I really really like you, ge, I will do everything in my power, to make you happy. I know I can't give you the whole world, but I can give you my whole world..."

  
  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  
  
  


Then it all happened so suddenly.

The filming was wrapped on schedule, and Yibo had to leave for Hengdian for the next 3-4 month, but he promised Xiao Zhan to call and visit when he had breaks. He kissed Xiao Zhan tenderly, and left.

Xiao Zhan spent the next few days filming for his own online course, and just about to leave for his monthly shopping, when the call came.

"Xiao Zhan? This is Luo QingYang, Ms. Meng's assistant."

Xiao Zhan frowned. "Yes? May I help you?"

"I'm calling you to inform you that Ms. Meng is in a coma right now, and she told me to contact you, as her fiance, to sign the documents needed to bring her to France right away. There's a car already waiting for you in front of your apartment, please hurry..." her voice faltered at the end.

Xiao Zhan looked at the phone.  _ What the hell just happened? _ He peeked out of the window, and there was a car waiting in front of his door. Shortly after, the doorbell rang. 

He opened it to a man in a driver's uniform.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Xiao, I'm Miss. Meng's chauffeur, and I'm here to pick you up, may I have your bag?"

"I...I haven't packed anything yet...this is all so sudden..."

"In that case, just leave it, we could buy everything you need on the way. Please, Mr. Xiao." He half dragged half carried Xiao Zhan to the car.

Xiao Zhan felt panic rising in his throat

He had to let Yibo know, the man would be confused if he just left like this.

He dialed Yibo's number, but there's no answer. After a few more tries, he left a voicemail.

  
  
  
  


'Yibo? It's Xiao Zhan, I.. I have something that I have to do to help a friend in need. I will contact you as soon as possible with details, please don't worry, I'm okay. Take care of yourself, hope to talk to you soon. Don't forget to eat!'

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


They got to the hospital in record time, and Xiao Zhan signed every document that was needed to get Ziyi to France. Then the driver whisked Xiao Zhan straight to the airport, where there's a private jet already waiting.

"Mr. Xiao? I'm Luo QingYang, you may call me Mian Mian, come, right this way, we'll be flying soon." She grabbed his arm and dragged him to the airstairs, and not a minute later, the plane is already in the air.

  
  


\-----

  
  
  
  
  


Yibo was on his break when he listened to Xiao Zhan's voicemail. He frowned, and tried to call him back but before he did, his phone's ringing. He looked at the number. It's not the ones that he recognized, but he picked it up anyway.

"Yes?"

"Is this Wang Yibo?"

"Yes, this is he."

"OHMYGOD IT'S REALLY HIM! WANG YIBO! IT'S ME YOUR BIGGEST FAN!!!"

He frowned at the hysterical screaming on the other side.

"How did you get this number?"

"Ah, we bought it on the net, someone's been selling a lot of famous people's number, but yours is the most popular!!"

He clicked off the phone. But then it rings, and rings, and rings nonstop, until he turned it off.

And for the next few days, he dealt with the mess of changing numbers, and it infuriated him, especially after the fans found out where he's staying, and stood in front of his car, delaying his schedule, even almost hitting his bodyguard with their car. 

He's almost out of his mind, especially since he can't contact Xiao Zhan.

Then one day, he sneaked out from the filming location, not telling anyone because he didn't want to be followed, jumped on the plane and went to Xiao Zhan's apartment... only to find Xuan Lu there.

"Lu jie, where's Xiao Zhan?"

"Yibo! Ah, I have the same question actually, he left a few days ago without telling anyone, and now his phone's off. He didn't even bring his travelling luggage with him." Xuan Lu looked scared now. "I wonder...if there's something that happened to him? Should we call the police?"

"He left me a voicemail a few days ago, he said he had to go somewhere to take care of a friend, but then he said he will contact me again with details… shit!" 

"What is it, Yibo?"

"I forgot, a few days ago I had my number's leaked on the net, and I had to change my number. Maybe Xiao Zhan left a message or voicemail there and I don't even know how to reach him to tell him my new number!" He sat on the sofa, devastated. 

"What are we supposed to do now?"

  
  
  



	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that the restaurant and any place or location that I have mentioned was not the real or accurate ones, just borrow the name to further the plot.
> 
> Thank you!

**_5 years later_ **

  
  


"So, Yibo, this new single of yours, Bu Wang, already topped the chart for one whole year, some said that it's your personal experience, is that true?" The interviewer asked Yibo about his triple platinum song.

"In a way, yes." 

"Will you elaborate more?"

"I think the words itself were quite clear."

Sensing the mood of the superstar was going downhill fast, the interviewer changed the direction of her questioning.

"I heard you will be participating in French MotoGP this August?"

"Yes."

  
  
  
  
  


He finished the interview in a slightly worse mood than he felt at the beginning. 

_ Bu Wang.  _

_ The world passes by but I remember only you. _

_ Where are you, ge?  _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Yibo spent almost every break he could wrung out of his schedule, going to Europe. He had feelings that Xiao Zhan was somewhere there. 

He looked into every cafe, every Chinatown, every city, but always came back empty handed and with a heavy heart. 

And then he wrote Bu Wang, out of his restless feeling.

  
  
  
  
  


"Ay, Yibo, heard you're going to France this August?" Ji Li, his co-star in his new drama, sat beside him.

"Yup."

"So, I have this favor to ask, my soon-to-be sister in law, is going to have her wedding in France in August, well, she lived in France anyway, so, where was I, oh yes, she is a huge fan of yours, and when she found out that I worked with you, she asked me to invite you to sing at her wedding. No expenses will be spared for you to be able to come, she can afford it, and since it's a few days before your race, I thought, maybe if you want to..." he tilted his head, waiting for Yibo to answer.

  
  
  
  


_ France. The City of Love. _

  
  
  
  


He scoffed. "Okay, Ji Li, why not? I could use the distraction."

"Good, because if you refused, I had her permission to kidnap you!" Ji Li laughed.

Yibo only looked at him incredulously.

  
  
  
  
  


_ August should not have come so fast, but here it is... _

He was picked up by a limo, and when the chauffeur opened the back door, there he was, Ji Li, with champagne in hand, and all the glory of a young master.

"If you're this loaded, why bother becoming an actor at all?" Yibo asked him when he already sat with drinks in hand.

"I wanted to make new friends, and of course collecting gossips straight from the source wouldn't hurt." He grinned.

Yibo only shrugged and drank his champagne.

Weird one this Ji Li, but he's a good friend, and seemed like he had no bad intentions.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Their limo went straight to the tarmac, where a private jet was waiting.

"So, you are this rich, huh?" Yibo looked around inside the private jet.

"Well, it's my brother's, I just borrowed this to impress you, and because my jie strictly told me to whisk you away as soon as possible." Ji Li's sulked now.

"Did your brother also live in a castle? And you're secretly a prince?" Yibo asked, couldn't contain his laugh.

Ji Li threw a pillow to him.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


They landed about nine hours later, enough for Yibo to catch on his sleep. He never slept more than three hours after…  _ after _ .

Another limo picked them up, and brought them to the apartment they're going to stay in. 

Right in front of Eiffel Tower.

"So, Yibo, I will be going to meet my brother, would you like to come? Or you want to do some sight-seeing on your own?" Ji Li asked him, when he was already settled in his room.

"You go, I'll be fine, when is the wedding tomorrow?"

"We should probably go there before 10. Okay then, I'll let you settle down first, have fun! Oh, you should try the restaurant near here, Guy Savoy, the chef was brilliant!" Ji Li winked at him, then left.

In the end, Yibo decided to go outside, craving a good hot chocolate and croissant.

  
  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  
  
  


He walked around the bustling city, full of tourists, and the smell of coffee and croissants were permeating the air around him. He wore his mask and hat, because he'll never know when he will be recognized by his fans, since he was going international a few years back. 

He found the restaurant Ji Li mentioned, it's cozy, and boasted about the best homemade food in this side of the country. He found a seat, and ordered a hearty meal of beef noodles soup, their specialty, and hot chocolate, and when it arrived shortly after, he devoured it to the last drop. 

He felt a familiar pang in his heart, the one that he always felt when he ate beef noodles soup, especially as good as this one. That's why he rarely wants to eat it anymore, even though it was his favorite meal…  _ before _ . 

He stood up, paid, and told the waiter to give the chef his regards. " _ Ce repas était vraiment très bon." _ This meal was really very good. 

The waiter's face lit up, " _ Merci beaucoup! Je ferai savoir au chef!" _ Thank you very much! I will let the chef know!

  
  
  
  


He walked outside, and decided that he would turn in early, as he wanted to wake up early and go to the fresh market, as he often did in the past, just walking down a memory lane when he was with Xiao Zhan. But before that, he went and grabbed some croissant to snack on the apartment.

  
  


The waiter walked back to the kitchen area, and looked for the chef. "Sean! There's a very handsome customer who praised your beef noodles! Wow, you should look at him, so handsome, like a greek god!  _ Très beau _ !!"

He laughed, "That's the nth time this week you've praised our customers  _ très beau, _ Marcél..."

"But Sean, this was different...he was a chinese guy like you!"

He stopped doing what he was doing, and looked at Marcél.

"Did you see where he's going?"

"He walked to the direction of Eiffel Tower, probably just another  _ touriste _ , although his french is  _ très bon _ ."

_ Could it be? _

He ran outside, but unfortunately there was no trace of the male god that Marcél described. He chuckled to himself. 

_ What are the odds? _

  
  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  
  


Yibo woke up at 6.30am, and he went venturing to the nearest wet market,  _ Marché Saxe-Breteuil _ . 

He had grown to love the smell of raw ingredients, he learnt how to choose the freshest meat and seafood, and most of all he learnt to cook simple meals by himself. 

Wang Yibo, the king of cooking disasters, now can cook for himself, what are the odds. 

He chuckled.

He walked around, and picked a fresh baguette, cheese, ham, and a dozen eggs, he will make breakfast for himself and Ji Li. 

But when he was considering whether to buy the fresh strawberries or not, he caught a glance of a familiar, tall, lanky figure with a tuft of black hair, just turning into a corner. 

He felt his throat's constricted, but he did not run toward him, even though he wanted to. 

It took years for him to learn that self control, and not just grabbed any random person that slightly resembled his Zhan ge. 

He closed his eyes, massaged his temple, and decided that he need coffee.

  
  
  
  


He went to the nearest coffee shop, and brought triple hot americanos, and iced caramel frappuccino for Ji Li, and he headed back to the apartment.

  
  
  
  


"Jesuschrist, Yibo, you're freaking me out! What were you doing outside in this wee hour?" Ji Li, just woke up from his sleep, accepted the frappuccino and drank it straight away.

"I just went to the wet market, you should come with me next time, we could get the freshest ingredients there." He put aside his stuff, and got the pan out to cook.

"You're cooking?" Ji Li looked over his shoulder. "You really are a multi talented superstar! If I was not this rich, I'm going to envy you all the way!" 

Yibo only scoffed at him. "This is called a basic survival dude, it's not like I'm cooking a gourmet or anything."

"Speaking of gourmet, have you tried The Savoy? Great beef noodles right? I heard the chef is chinese man, that's why it tasted so authentic."

Yibo stopped his knife before it almost sliced his finger.

"Oh by the way, I should tell you this, Ji Li was my actor's name, my real name is Nie Huaisang, so, please don't forget to call me by my right name later, okay?" He patted Yibo's back, and sat on the table. 

"I'm starving, what's for breakfast?"

  
  
  
  
  
  



	6. Chapter 6

They arrived in time for the preparation. 

Ji Li, or Nie Huaisang, excused himself to meet his brother, and he's showing Yibo the band, to practice the song, Bu Wang, as per request of the bride. 

He practiced for a few times, more like familiarizing the band with his song, and he specifically requested a guqin player so the effect he wanted will be there. 

The haunting sound of longing. 

He wondered why the bride wanted him to sing this song, it's not your typical sappy love song that's usually being played at the wedding. 

It's more like...  _ aching _ for someone's song. 

Well, whatever floats her boat. He was supposed to be in France anyway, and might as well enjoy the wedding.

The guests had already arrived and he took a seat near the buffet table, when his eyes fell on something familiar.

_ No, it can't be... _

He walked closer to the table, and looked at the pink flower dumplings.

But before he could ask or do anything about it, he was whisked away to the stage, to prepare to sing, since it was time for the wedding.

He stood on the stage, right beside the priest, the other side of the bridegrooms, Nie Huaisang waved at him, and he started to sing on cue.

_ The world passes by but I remember only you... _

  
  
  
  


When he got to that part, he saw the bride walk slowly into the altar, held by a tall, handsome man, with dark wavy hair, and the mole under his lips. 

_ Impossible _ ...

  
  
  
  


He closed his eyes, and opened it again, to see the other man was now staring at him, mouth agape, and he stopped walking.

Yibo snapped first from his trance, threw his mic to the astonished priest, half walk half run to the man who haunted his dreams and waking hours for these last five years, cupped his face, and kissed him with all the pent up frustration and longing.

The crowd gasped, but he couldn't care less.

After a while, he let go of him, and suddenly he sucker punched the older man. 

"That's for leaving me behind for 5 years without any news." 

But then he grabbed him again, and kissed him hard.

"Jesus, did you have to do that?" Xiao Zhan groaned.

"Thanks, but I'm not Jesus, I'm your fucking… what, what am I to you? You haven't answered that since five years ago, just tell me now..." he whispered in the older's mouth, praying that it's not a dream, and if it was, just please don't wake him up, he'll be glad to stay in this dream forever.

Xiao Zhan grabbed him fiercely, and looked him in the eye.

"You're my fucking soulmate, asshole..." and kissed him hard.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


"Ehm...EHM..excuse me..." someone poked them on the ribs.

"Ah! I'm sorry!!!! God, I'm so sorry!!" Xiao Zhan looked at the bride, just realized what he's supposed to do, his face reddened. "Jesus, Ziyi, did I ruin your wedding?"

Yibo looked at the bride, and the lightbulb went on in his head. "You? You were Xiao Zhan's fiance right?" He looked at her, then back to Xiao Zhan. "Were you going to marry her just now?"

"Ehm, hello? I'm here? You could just ask me, you know?" She waved her hand in front of Yibo.

He looked at her distastefully, when Nie Huaisang approached them with an older version of him. 

"Yibo, calm down, this is my brother, Nie Mingjue, he was the one who's going to marry Ziyi jie, you know, Zhan ge here was just bringing the bride to the altar..." he explained to Yibo, and Nie Mingjue, his HOST, reached his hand to shake Yibo's. "Wang Yibo, it is an honor to finally meet you, Ziyi and Xiao Zhan talked about you all the time."

"Now that we got all of the misunderstanding out of the way, can we please continue with the wedding? My shoes are killing me!" Ziyi grabbed Mingjue's hand, and they marched to the altar, followed by Huaisang, who looked back at them and gave them his two thumbs up.

Yibo chuckled, then he looked at Xiao Zhan, and vice versa.

"You want to get out of here?"

Xiao Zhan nodded, and they left there, hand in hand.

  
  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  
  
  


"Tell me what happened." 

They were lying down on the grass, a little bit outside the chateau where they held the wedding, holding on to each other's hand.

"It's a very long story." Xiao Zhan played with Yibo's hair. Still mesmerized by his ethereal beauty that's only got better by time.

"I've got time."

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	7. Chapter 7

**_5 years ago_ **

  
  
  
  
  


Xiao Zhan, Mianmian and Ziyi landed in France almost 10 hours after their departure. 

After that, they went straight to Hearst Cancer Research Center. They had already had an appointment there. 

Ziyi was still in a coma, and they whisked her away in a helicopter ambulance. They arrived at the hospital just 15 minutes later, and the doctors asked for Xiao Zhan's consent to do the operation. 

He gave it right away, and then all they could do was wait.

Another five hours, and there's still no news about Ziyi's condition. 

Mianmian however, she went outside and brought back cold sandwiches, coffee, snacks, and most important one, a French sim card.

"Oh, thank God for you, Mianmian, you're a lifesaver." Xiao Zhan grabbed the sim card and he changed his chinese sim card into the french one. 

He then opened his phone, and called Yibo's number. 

It did not get through. 

He frowned, but still thought that maybe he's busy and hasn't had the chance to check his voicemail. He then left another voicemail.

  
  
  
  


_ 'Hi, Yibo, it's me, this is my temporary number, I had an urgent business in France, heh, in case you're wondering, yes I am in France now, haha, so, yeah, this is my number, call me anytime soon, I miss you...' _

  
  
  
  


"Boyfriend?" Mianmian asked casually.

"It's complicated..." but his eyes looked soft.

"Mm, aren't they all."

They ate in silence.

"Say, Mianmian, how long have you been Ziyi's assistant?"

"Almost three years, why?"

"So you knew Mingjue, right?"

She scoffed. "Who do you think owned the plane?"

"Did he know about Ziyi's condition?" Mianmian was silent now.

"Why did she want me to do...this?" He waved his hand around, "Instead of Mingjue?"

"I think you should ask her yourself. It's not my place to explain to you about her decision." She answered carefully. "By the way, you should take a rest, I've already prepared the apartment for you, it's just a stone throw away from here."

"Thanks, but maybe in a while?"

"Xiao Zhan, you should take whatever rest you can get, from now on it's going to be an uphill battle, and I'm here to share your burden. So please, just rest. Okay?" Mianmian patted his back.

After he gave some thought to that, he finally agreed to rest.

"I already prepared everything for you, there's clothes, toiletries, shoes, anything that I missed, you just let me know."

"Whatever Ziyi's paying you, I'm sure you're worth a lot more, Mianmian." Xiao Zhan flashed his megawatt smile, then left.

  
  


\-----

  
  


It had been a week and Xiao Zhan didn't receive any message or voicemail from Yibo, and it really made him feel down.

_ 'Hi, it's me again, are you still busy? Did you have any phone reception over there? Please just take care of yourself, I don't want anything bad to happen to you, I promise I will be back soon, will you reply to this? I miss you so much...' _

He felt very discouraged, after each voicemail and each message that went unanswered, and although Ziyi's getting better, he felt worse. He didn't know what else he should do. 

"Ziyi, you should tell Mingjue."

Ziyi looked at him, resigned. "I don't want him to see me like this..." she let a tear drop on her cheek.

"Ziyi, he loved you, much more than I did. I just realized it now, I've loved you, but I've never been in love with you. But Mingjue? He was in love with you, from the first time, with all of his being, why don't you give him a chance?"

"Yes, Ziyi, why don't you give me a chance?" 

Xiao Zhan jumped, surprised upon hearing the voice of one and only Nie Mingjue.

He came inside the private room, and put the huge flowers bouquet he brought, in a vase near the bed.

"Mingming, how did you..." Ziyi looked astonished.

"Other than you're using my jet without telling me, Xiao Zhan here called me. And I rushed here straightaway. Baobei, what have you been thinking in that pretty head of yours? Did you think I would leave you? Not a chance in hell." He kissed Ziyi's crown.

"But...I'm so ugly now, and also, maybe...they will do a mastectomy on one or both of my breasts. I can't have you see me like that, Ming..." she sobbed quietly. "I'm not worthy of you..."

Xiao Zhan walked outside slowly, to give privacy to both of them.

So, Ziyi could be that insecure, she never showed me that side of her before. Well, he guessed love could change anyone. 

He smiled sadly. 

He wondered if it had changed him too? 

\-----

  
  
  
  


6 months have passed, and Ziyi's getting better. 

They did have to remove one of the breasts, but Mingjue encouraged her, and was always by her side.

Meanwhile, Xiao Zhan, although he's working as a chef now, which was his lifelong dream, was getting worse. 

There was still no reply from Yibo, and he felt like he's going down the rabbit hole from missing him too much. 

He still left voicemail, although not as often as before, only once a week.

_ 'Hi, it's me again, I know, I know, maybe you don't want to hear my voice again, maybe I made you angry by leaving you just like that, and I'm sorry. I'm really sorry... I don't know what else should I say, I just want to let you know that I have my answer for your question. Yes, THAT question, and I know maybe it's too late for me, for you, for us, but I just want you to know, that I recognized you as my soulmate. Cheesy right? But what else do you call this kind of connection? I can still feel it, deep inside my soul, ingrained in my bones, and how could I forget about your kisses? I just want to say, I love you, even if you don't love me back. This kind of love? They only appeared once every few lifetimes, and I know that you are my one and only love. I will see you again, even though it will take me another lifetime to do so.' _

  
  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  
  


_ A year later... _

  
  
  


He came to see him race. He didn't say anything, didn't contact anyone. He's just gone home, and the first thing he did was seeing him again. 

Before he had to decide.

He was at the race track, standing near the finish line. And when it was announced that he won the race, he felt proud, very proud, and happy. He saw his happy face, clutching the trophy, and shooting out the champagne. And he felt that he had no right to interfere again with his life. 

Because he was happy, without him.

He turned around, and left, unaware of the piercing gaze on his back, uncertain if he's the person he dreamt about every night or just another hallucination in the middle of the day.

  
  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  
  
  


"So, that was really you then, I thought I was going crazy, hallucinating you in the middle of the day..." Yibo caressed Xiao Zhan's cheek. "I wish I could hear all your voicemail, I still want to hear them, if not because that goddamn scalper, we would already be together since five years ago.."

Xiao Zhan kissed his big hand, amazed by how he still remembered every line and shape of his hands. "Let bygones be bygones, we're here, aren't we?"

"With my help, anything can happen." 

"Huaisang!" Yibo looked at him, "I'm sorry I ruined your brother's wedding." He stood up and bowed his head to him.

"Nah, s'okay Yibo, it's all according to the plan, the original plan was to make you meet up with Zhan ge here all along. That kissing show just now? Just cream on top, you guys were really made for each other, by the way. Congratulations!" He clapped his hands like a sea lion.

"What did you mean by the original plan? Did you just trick me?" Yibo frowned at Huaisang's cryptic words.

"All in all, Yibo and Xiao Zhan lived happily ever after, wasn't that the end game? After all, the magician will never reveal his trick..." he opened his elaborate fan, and walked away, smiling mysteriously.

"Just let him be, he's always cryptic like that. But I admit that he's super smart, like genius smart." Xiao Zhan pulled Yibo back to the grass. "Now tell me, did you really spend the last five years searching for me all over Europe?"

"If only you knew how broken I was, Zhan ge, did you know I composed Bu Wang because of you? I sang it, hoping that somehow my words reached you, to let you know that I missed you, and I will always remember you..."

_ 'The world passes by but I remember only you' _

"Of course I knew about Bu Wang, I meticulously followed and documented your career, in hope someday when I grow old and senile, I can brag to Ziyi's or Lulu's kids that I have had kissed Wang Yibo, the asian superstar, when I was young and beautiful."

"And now we can grow old and senile together." 

  
  
  



	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some fluff from their life

_**Epilogue** _   
  
  
  
  
  
  


"Yibo, let me go!!!"

"No, Yibo, don't let me go!!!!"

"You have to make up your mind, Zhan ge, I can't do both..." Yibo patiently tried to hold on to the elder, while he was learning to stand upright on his ski.

"I don't know! How should I know? I have never skied before! Damn you, don't let go of me!!!!" 

"Ge, we're just like..standing here... we're not even moving yet.." Yibo let out his exasperated sigh.

"You know what? I gave up! This is the first time we have breaks together, and nooo, you have to go skiing, not only that, you dragged me all the way here to this godforsaken god-knows-where, and when we die here, no one will ever find us ever again under all this snow!!"

"Don't be such a drama queen, ge, it's Alpine, A-L-P-I-N-E, and it's perfectly safe, even for an amateur for you..."

Xiao Zhan slapped Yibo's hand.

"I'm done, I'm going inside..." he crouched down to untie his ski, when he felt an arm circling his waist and swooped him up.

"What are you doing? Let me go, don't do it! Nooooooo....!!!!!" 

Yibo carried him in a fireman carry and rocketed down in his own ski, cackling all the way down.

  
  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  
  


"I hate you" 

"No, you don't"

"Yes, I do"

"No, you don't, you love me."

"What makes you say that?" Xiao Zhan's pouting now, after a whole day being dragged along the mountain slopes.

"Because." Yibo dragged him closer, and pulled him to his lap, and kissed him softly. "I love you, baobei..."

The slow and soft kiss, turned into hot and heavy soon. 

They let go unwillingly, just because a human had to breathe sometime. But then Yibo carried Xiao Zhan, bridal style, to the bedroom of the cabin they rented for the week.

"What is it with you and your obsession of carrying me everywhere?" Xiao Zhan held on to Yibo's neck.

"To make up for the time you thought that I would be happy without you by my side." He put Xiao Zhan gently on the bed. "I will make it up to you, baobei, I will make the five lonesome years that you had, that I had, seemed like just a dream, that's it, only a dream," he kissed Xiao Zhan tenderly, "And now we woke up together, here, now, forever, I will not ever let you go again..." he then dipped into the bed, beside the older man, eyes caressing every inch of his body, followed by his hand, and mouth. 

The tenderness soon turned into something more carnal, like there's something inside them that needed the other right there and then, closer and closer and finally became one, in body, in mind, in soul. And that needs wouldn't easily go or change, because they were indeed soulmates, that only happened once in a lifetime. 

They recognized each other's soul, and loved each other in everything that mattered.

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I really enjoy writing this romcom! Hopefully you guys like it!  
> Leave message plz!
> 
> Follow my IG @chiaroscuro555


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